


the only thing to fear is never being scared

by BabaTunji, Ponderosa (ponderosa121)



Category: Black Panther (2018), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon Divergence, F/F, Grief, King Killmonger, Politics, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:08:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25733359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabaTunji/pseuds/BabaTunji, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ponderosa121/pseuds/Ponderosa
Summary: A Jabari fisherman never finds T’Challa’s body and when Erik ascends, things take a very different turn.
Relationships: Nakia (Black Panther)/Shuri
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7
Collections: Marvel Femslash Big Bang 2020





	1. Nakia - 2 days since N’Jadaka wins

**Author's Note:**

> This didn’t go where I expected and I ran out of time so I closed it out into an “Act 1” Part. It’s firmly in the pre-relationship stages and I hope some will still enjoy it for what it is. [Spotify Mix](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6oHCUPudbkbu65001XVsRl?si=goRvZ0L0TtOZYp9PGTKXMA) for fic.
> 
> Fic by: BabaTunji  
> Art by: ponderosa121

There are three public announcements made early in the morning on the day after N’Jadaka ascends. Nakia does not learn about them till later in the afternoon when she, Shuri and Agent Ross arrive at a safe house in a Border Town. None of the announcements make mention to the abrupt departure of the queen dowager and princess. The announcements are accompanied by an addendum from the Elder Council. There is no mention of T’Challa and what would be done to his body once recovered. Of all the things to occur in the last 24 hours to push her to the edge, this is perhaps the closest.

She has been running on instinct, and years of mission critical management. There is no time to grieve, no time to think beyond what is most important, barely any time to assess her own complicated alliances to find who she could trust. But in the moment, after a restless night of covering their tracks, evading all attempts at contact and surveillance—guiding Shuri through the process of detaching herself from an extensive network of technology and interface she’s been connected to since birth almost—Nakia allows herself a moment, just a small moment to feel the weight of what has happened.

Then she wipes her eyes and goes back into the living area to brief Everett Ross.

She walks over to the room’s low table where the American agent is already seated and settles across from him. The table between them is bare, an hour previous it held several plates and some clear cups for drinking. The food tasted like dust in her mouth, Shuri hadn’t even finished hers.

Agent Ross looks ready to sleep himself but Nakia isn’t fooled, the agent has been watching everything around him in fascinated assessment ever since he awoke in Shuri’s private labs. It would be foolish to underestimate him or his motives, particularly given what he knew now. She made a calculated risk days ago when she pleaded with T’Challa to save his life. She banked on his exposure to Klaue’s retelling of events to tip the scales in her favor. Her calculation had proven correct and T’Challa uncharacteristically listened, all for him to be dethroned and killed by another American agent mere days later.

If she weren’t so close to finishing what N’Jadaka started she might laugh. What a sharp turn of events, what coincidental timing, what—

“When was the last time you were in contact with Lt. Erik Stevens?” Nakia doesn’t have access to her usual retinue of information and it adds to her current blindness of the overall situation. It’s too dangerous right now for her to access any of it, not with her current suspicions, not with the fantastic lack of oversight the last week revealed.

“It’s been years, easily. I know of him more than I know him in person.” Ross to his credit doesn’t balk at the line of questioning, they were both professionals. She doesn’t doubt just as she is fishing for information so will he.

“He almost killed you back in Busan.” She expects the agent to have already made the connection.

“Yeah… so if you think we’re working together—” Ross denies the obvious conclusion.

“It is quite convenient isn’t it? You, taking Klaue into custody and he just so happens to break him out.” Their new king being so thorough as to cover his tracks and kill his informant, were that the case. It could be just that neat, or Ross could be telling the truth.

“I’m not working with Stevens. I had no idea he was even in Busan and haven’t had any contact with him in years. His teams don't run with mine.” Ross is telling her too much by their industry standards and yet it is not enough. She’s never wanted her usual accesses so bad.

“What would he do if he knew you were here, if he found you?” She has no intention of handing the agent over to N’Jadaka and she trusts Okoye to keep this indiscretion and a few others secret. She just wants to see what Ross will say.

Ross doesn’t immediately answer and what he does say quiets some of her growing paranoia. “Stevens has been in deep cover for years, what he and his people do… it’s complicated. If he’s here on orders—which I doubt, this isn’t our style—I may be able to make a deal, it’s a big maybe. I wouldn’t bet my or anyone else’ life on it.”

N’Jadaka claimed to have been training his entire life to challenge for kingship. She is loath to dismiss the possibilities of just who might have encouraged and sponsored such training for future gains. If certain things are as dire as she suspects, it would not even be foreign intelligence but certain sects of Wakanda’s own War Dogs.

“I have a vested interest in your survival, I do not think Wakanda’s new king does.” She will not threaten him explicitly, there is no need. His proximity to Shuri is something she will have to deal with sooner or later, but for now it's better that he sees her as an ally.

“I don’t think he does either. How do you see this situation going? Will someone else challenge him?” There’s an inflection in Ross’ tone that Nakia recognizes from many missions and trips abroad. Usually accompanied with a remark on how ‘quaint’ or ‘barbaric’ certain customs or beliefs were. Her lips quirk in barely hidden disdain, before tipping into something that resembles a smile. It’s more difficult than usual, she’s just so drained.

“No. It does not work like that.” Challenge day was a traditional formality, if a tribe had issues with the Panther Tribe, they raised them _before_ challenge day. The Jabari's appearance after hundreds of years of separation was an anomaly just like N’Jadaka’s.

Ross isn’t satisfied with her answer. “So how does it work? How can a nation this advanced, have their ultimate leader be decided with a challenge by combat?”

The inflection from before is now even more pronounced. Ross asked a lot of questions in the beginning when they made their escape from the palace proper. Growing quieter when no answers were forthcoming beyond the absolutely necessary from Nakia and a nearly mute Shuri and Ramonda. Now that they are alone, she has made it seem almost safe to inquire and she can see those questions once again forming. Having gained as much information as she could without giving anything much in return, she decides to end the conversation.

“Do you remember in Honduras when he won the election?” He would, his team handled the transition. The recognition in his gaze is almost amusing as the dread he must feel when he connects all the tiny pieces, she has been giving him. Wakanda’s intelligence networks went much beyond their technology and spies. Much of the legwork was done by foreign agents themselves—whether wittingly or unwittingly.

“It’s a show.” Ross sounds consternated.

Nakia responds, “The actual challenge is a formality, those who might be inclined to challenge have already been addressed.” Except in this case, where a national secret and unknown prince appeared. They don’t talk for much longer; Ross has no information; she can’t already find herself given time and proper access. She in turn gives him nearly nothing to work with information wise—it helps that according to his American and capitalist perspective—Wakanda simply makes no sense.

When he retires to get some sleep, she powers on the working sole communication device in the entire safe house. There is a new message from Red. She reads the message three times before deleting the message and powering the device off. The message had read: “And he knew them and bore three children.”  
The one line is coded, a verse from well-known Wakandan poet, it confirms her suspicions were correct and that she would need to move quickly, starting with the soldier T’Challa had so quietly offered asylum.

\--

Nakia wakes Shuri up gently, a hand on the princess’ shoulder—she had only gone to sleep a scant four hours before. Despite the care she takes, Shuri jolts up as if shocked. There are a few precious seconds where Shuri looks confused before her memory of the day sets in. Nakia watches those bright eyes dim, just a bit and her heart aches in response. When Nakia speaks it’s brusque but not unkind: “We have to leave soon, please get ready.”

Since they are alone, Nakia speaks in common Wakandan. They have maybe two more hours left at their current location. Nakia had been thorough when disconnecting the both of them and covering their trail, but anything could have happened in the time they were here. She isn’t taking chances, not with Shuri—T’Challa’s heir—a sad voice reminds her, because T’Challa was dead. As if she could forget. 

Shuri doesn’t respond with words, merely noding. Nakia steps away from the bed space and watches Shuri make her way to the shared bathroom. They need to have a conversation, several actually but she will start with the most pressing and have the others when they become more pertinent. At present, they were slated to remain in hiding and on the run till Nakia could secure a more permanent safe house or the current situation changed. Considering who was at the helm of the council, Dora Milaje and the War Dog Division she expects it to be awhile.

Shuri would not be an ideal candidate for this sort of deep cover given her near total dependency on technology that demanded continual connectivity—even if she weren’t now grieving the death of not just her father but her brother as well. Nakia suspects once the initial shock fades the princess will be very uncooperative with their current living situation. So, in an effort to side-step some of that push back she will try her best to explain the severity of the situation and why such extreme measures were needed. She is not looking forward to this because it will require her being somewhat truthful of her own questionable activities in recent years, but she knows it’s necessary. Shuri would not listen, would not stay hidden—for long anyway otherwise.

When Shuri comes out of the bathroom she looks more awake.

“What time is it?” Shuri asks.

“Almost 5 in the morning. We have some hours before we leave, I wanted to talk with you first about the situation.” Nakia dances around more specific wording like ‘your brother’s death’ or ‘your removal from every connective device attached to you’.

“When will I be able to use my kimoyo beads again?” Shuri asks what Nakia is expecting and she dithers for a split second on telling the truth or a nicer sounding lie. She settles for somewhere in between.

“Soon—I hope. I’m still looking for a more secure safe house. Till then neither of us can connect to the usual network or infrastructure. Do you understand why?”

“It’s traceable.” Shuri replies and Nakia nods.

“Very, very traceable.” The War Dog Division would never allow for information holes within Wakanda’s borders, most of the time it didn’t really matter. The level of surveillance most Wakandans were under has been the status-quo for longer than the Internet’s existence in the rest of the world. The veneer of privacy between citizens was there of course, accesses, rules, infringement policies, repercussion for unauthorized hacking. There were no such restrictions for the Division, not where Wakanda’s security was concerned. The only ‘black spots’ were within Jabari lands and even then, there was some overhead, if limited. All now in the hands of a man who may or may not be here on foreign orders. Bast preserve them all.

“I could make a reliable private network; I just need time—” Nakia is also expecting this. Shuri’s concentrations might be in vibranium working and neuro sciences but she understood the embedded technology enough to attempt her own private network, she might even succeed given enough time. But now is not the time to test that.

“Your attempts would be noticed before anything else. Even if you succeeded, they would have enough information to find you.” The ‘they’ here is neutral so she clarifies. “The Division was compromised even before N’Jadaka arrived, there are factions that wouldn’t mind you dead or in his custody.” Chief amongst them, her own former faction.  
Shuri opens her mouth as if to argue and Nakia sees the exact moment comprehension dawns. Shuri asks with new trepidation in her voice, “Are you with them?”

Somehow Nakia isn’t expecting this. Insistence that she would be able to do what many others have tried and failed to do yes, denial that the situation was truly as dire as her mother and Nakia are making it out to be yes. But not the realization of the subtle implication of Nakia’s own involvement.

“I am with you.” Nakia uses a stronger form of ‘with you’ in reference to the promise she had made to Shuri’s mother the night before. She had sworn to Ramonda on Bast and their shared River Tribe gods that she would protect Shuri. Whatever her personal politics, she would not go back on her word. Would not allow T’Challa’s sister—his heir to die for this.

“You let my mother go to Jabari lands alone.” Shuri’s voice rises in alarm by the end as if having some horrible realization.

“She is not alone.” There were three highly trained and well trusted aides who had gone with her.

“I should be with her!” Shuri exclaims, voice shrill with panic.

“Your life is too precious to risk.” Nakia attempts to end the argument before it can begin. “I am not satisfied with things as they are, yes. But I am not a traitor or oath breaker, I swore to your mother that I would protect you—” with her life if necessary.

“Would you be with them if I was already dead?” Shuri’s voice is back to conversational levels, for which Nakia is glad even if the question makes her deeply uncomfortable. She did not want to think about Shuri dying.

“No.” If the word tastes bitter on her tongue, she blames it on what they have both already lost. Hypothetical scenarios were not real life and for all that she may have disagreed with T’Challa and his father’s politics, she had not wanted them dead. She takes one step and then another till she is closing the space between her and Shuri. Nakia finds she can’t quite read the expression on the younger woman’s features, it’s not a comforting realization. “I need you to trust me. I cannot protect you if you do not trust me.” Ramonda trusted Nakia with her remaining child and Wakanda’s heir. Perhaps she wouldn’t have if she knew Nakia’s true opinions on certain matters.

“What will happen now? We can’t keep hiding forever.” For some reason this is the sentiment that really reminds Nakia just how young and achingly Wakandan, Shuri is. Weeks or some months in deep cover is forever to her. She didn’t know what it meant, not truly, to live in constant and unending fear for your life. To be cut away from connections and networks she’d been surrounded by since she was a small child.

“We can’t, but we have to hide for now. At least until we receive word from your mother.”


	2. Shuri - 2 days since N’Jadaka wins

Shuri has never missed her kimoyo beads this much in her life. It’s ironic, before when her mother would disable them for ‘inappropriate use’ or tell her to put it away because they were sharing a family moment, she thought that was as bad as it could get. Yet even without her kimoyo beads active she had still been receiving information and data from her body attachments and receptors all connected to Wakanda’s larger network. Sometimes she would even make a game of seeing how much she could manipulate without her kimoyo beads, just rudimentary tools. Now she had none of that, just a few “off-line” gadgets and the suit. The suit she had re-designed following her father’s death, the suit that did nothing to save her brother.

They are travelling again, no set destination, just a manual flight pattern that avoids high traffic routes and all major hubs. Now that Nakia has told her the truth, or at least some of it, Shuri understands the spy’s paranoia more. Nakia hadn’t denied affiliation to one or more reactionary groups, had not lied about where her knowledge of the War Dogs being ‘compromised’ came from. After everything that’s happened it’s perhaps one of the least surprising. The times she listened, she noticed Nakia had some odd ideas, and assumed perhaps naively it was because of her work. War Dogs were an odd sort, they needed to be to leave Wakanda and do what they did.

When Shuri was younger she—like many Wakandan children—was fascinated by Wakanda’s secretive task force. Certainly, the thought of leaving Wakanda and traveling the world appealed to her. Such dreams came and went with her moods and interest, but ultimately died when she was confronted with the boring, near mundane nature of spy-work. It was more interesting working as auxiliary support within the country than roughing it up in some barely stable region in Europe.

The mission in Busan, while failed, reminded her of what she thought War dog missions would be like all the time, the car chase, the fighting, the sheer adrenaline despite her being only mission support. Remembering that mission brings her to more anxious thoughts. Would Killmonger have been able to win the Border Tribe’s support and challenge so neatly, if they succeeded in their mission to retrieve Klaue? Every past failure feels like a deeper condemnation now. It’s futile thinking but she can’t help it. Maybe if she had done more driving simulations maybe they would have secured Klaue faster, maybe if—

“Do you hear that?” Everett Ross’ voice interrupts her thoughts from spiraling further.

“Hear what?” Shuri almost responds in common Wakandan before she remembers to speak English. She’s been following Nakia’s lead in speaking English in his presence and nothing else unless necessary.

“Something is… beeping, listen.” The white man’s eyes scan the holding space and Shuri looks with him. Now that she is listening to it, she can hear a soft chirping noise. She moves closer to the source of the sound and realizes upon investigation it’s from Nakia’s bag.

“It’s Nakia’s.” What could it be? Nakia had disconnected her all their communication devices, and kimoyo beads.  
Shuri is standing to go tell Nakia something in her bag is making noise when the sound stops. She stares at the bag for a long moment before sitting back down. If it made the sound again, she would tell Nakia.

“Do you know what that might be?” Agent Ross asks. Shuri shakes her head, no. If things were different, she might have investigated further, as they were, she doesn’t want to know, it’s a conscious decision. Nakia is not telling her everything, Shuri knows she isn’t, and she doesn’t want to know.

They land at another safe house hours later. Shuri’s legs are jelly and she’s impatient for the go-ahead to re-link any of her communication devices. It’s been two days since—She just wanted to know what was happening. Life couldn’t just continue on as usual with Killmonger as king, could it?

Nakia goes through the minutes-long process for masking any traces of their small shuttle while Shuri and Ross make themselves comfortable inside the safe house. The new safe house is smaller than the last and Shuri immediately dislikes it. It’s in the Border Tribe style and there's just one living area for everything. The only door besides the door to enter or exit to the back gardens is to the bathroom. She finds a sleeping pallet and makes herself comfortable. Agent Ross follows her lead. When Nakia joins them, Shuri is contemplating trying to sleep, there’s not much else to do. She sits back up when Nakia calls her name.

“Yes…?” Would this place be safe enough for her to finally connect again? She hopes so.

“We need to retrieve James Barnes.”

Shuri’s hope fizzles and something new and cautious emerges.

“He’s not far from here.” They have been skirting closer and closer to Wakanda’s border. Shuri hasn’t been this far out in years. She’s had no reason, at least before their first white guest.

“How far along is he?” Nakia asks and Shuri catches Ross watching the both of them intently. They’re not speaking in English she realizes. When she answers she is more conscious of why Nakia might not want Ross hearing this.

“Not very, I placed some verbal security keys and did an initial diagnosis but… I mean maybe if I had a well-equipped lab, I could manage most of it. Nakia he’s a mess! I’ve never seen such rudimentary—”

Nakia gives her look, not unlike her mother’s that tells her to stop her rambling. Then she asks, “If you had a lab, and time. Could he be made useful?”

The question coming from Nakia is… Shuri opens her mouth then closes it. Did she want Shuri to repurpose Barnes? She’s considered this of course. In her initial planning what seems like an age ago but T’Challa asked her to help fix James Barnes, not turn him into a more efficient weapon. The latter would be easier maybe, there was primitive groundwork for which more sophisticated commands and programming could be inserted.

“Yes. I think so. Oh, but Nakia he’s—well I don’t think…” She trails off, mind on their current mess of a situation and the promise her brother made to Captain Rogers and Barnes himself.

“I won’t force him.” Nakia tells her and Shuri’s heart rate relaxes some.

“I can help him; I just need time. Nakia, T’Challa promised him.” She can’t help herself when she says the last part. 

Maybe it’s childish or wishful but now that T’Challa is _dead_ it mattered more to her that she fulfilled his promises.

Nakia doesn’t say anything back, just nods. Then she addresses Ross in English, “We have another guest, you and I will be going to retrieve him.”

“What do you mean by another guest?”

“You may know him, he caused quite the international mess for your people.” Nakia walks over to a wall panel and presses an interface Shuri hadn’t noticed before.

“Wait…” Ross trails off trying to recall who Nakia might mean. The wall behind Shuri slides open and she turns around surprised. She shouldn’t be but she is. Border towns were still Wakandan after all, even if they liked to pretend to be something else a little too much.

Ross is as surprised as she is. Nakia walks forward to the wall opening and gives Ross a hint. The hint goes over Shuri’s head, but Ross understands just fine. 

“No way… _the_ Winter Soldier? You guys took him?” Ross sounds incredulous and steps forward to where Nakia is standing. The spy smirks and doesn’t say anything else. Shuri trails the two downwards into the underground room of the safe house.

“We offered asylum.” Nakia corrects and switches on the lights. Shuri is momentarily stunned at what she finds, then she wonders who had built such a specific underground lab in the first place? She immediately notices the specialized equipment. Why would someone need all of these in the same lab space?

"Ross and I will go retrieve the soldier, and you should be ready to receive him within the hour.” Nakia instructs in English while Shuri is still marveling over the equipment she can see.

“Ah, okay.” She replies in English, then relays her true worries in Wakandan. “Please be careful.” She’s met Barnes but Nakia and Ross haven’t what if the man reacted badly. “Why don’t you let me come too? He knows me.”

Nakia shakes her head once. “If _he_ has been made aware of Barnes we may be too late. There may even be an ambush waiting.”

Shuri’s heart jumps. “Then why chance it?” The number of people aware of the soldier’s granted anthem were less than 20 and more than 10. But all it took for one person to talk…

Nakia sighs, a glance towards where Ross is now, exploring the underground lab space. He’s careful not to touch, Shuri taught him that lesson already back in her private labs in the palace. “I can’t leave you alone with Ross, and I can’t allow Barnes to fall into his hands. If it’s too late then we’ll know, if not… then we could make good on T’Challa’s promise.”

Shuri has already come to the first conclusion about Ross, mainly Nakia didn’t trust him. But there’s something Nakia isn’t saying that Shuri herself is now almost scared to voice. “Do you think he could help us?” He used to be an assassin. There was a short time she had believed he killed her father even.

Nakia shrugs, “Maybe. But he needs to be somewhere secure if he hasn’t been taken already. Be ready to run if you receive my special signal.”

Shuri nods her head, tongue scraping the side of her cheek. She didn’t like Nakia going into what may be a trap alone, she hopes the worst case hasn’t already happened. Then Nakia and Ross are walking back up the stairway and Shuri is alone. She starts to set apart the equipment and tools she might need upon Nakia’s arrival, going up the stairway once to retrieve her bags in the case that they had to run again.

She hopes her mother is well, that whatever she had gone to do with the Jabari succeeded. Would this be their base for the foreseeable future? She’s glad to have the equipment to work, and it would no doubt reduce their chances of being found this close to the border and indistinguishable from other rural and anti-social Wakandans.


	3. Nakia

Ross is full of questions when they get back into the shuttle, questions Nakia isn’t sure it serves her to answer beyond the very vague. When he asks about James Barnes, she thankfully has very little information to give him, she had not been present when most of the decision making related to him took place after all. She isn’t comfortable leaving Shuri alone in the safe house, even with weapons on hand. But she feels even less comfortable leaving a foreign agent alone with Shuri at a time like this. She hopes Barnes will prove himself to be useful. Hopes there will be no unpleasant surprises when they arrive. She may have exaggerated when she told Shuri they might be walking to an ambush. The number of people aware of Barnes being in Wakanda and the number aware of his location is 2 very small lists, Shuri would know but Nakia needed the princess to be conscious of her place in all of this and a little paranoia is healthy.

“Do all you know how to pilot these things or is this a skill you two just happen to have?” Ross asks minutes into the silence.

“Not all but it’s not hard.” Most Wakandans never had to actually pilot a shuttle or aircraft themselves though. Such vehicles in the country were normally automated for safety and practical reasons.

“Is this a regular model or a special model? There aren’t any weapons on it.”

“Why do you think it doesn’t have weapons?” She’s curious to see how much snooping he’s been doing.

“It does? Well—it just seems so small. I assumed it was for transportation only.” He would be correct but Nakia doesn’t confirm it.

“The shuttle has weapons.” Most didn’t, there was no need. But this was a palace model, built to suit the paranoia of a previous Cormorant dynasty and thus equipped with a few surprises.

She’s been careful to give Ross small bits of information with as little point of reference or confirmation as possible. Now he knew the shuttle had weapons so he might waste time trying to find them or ask to pilot at some point. May even attempt an escape when he realized she had no intentions of allowing him to leave Wakanda and report to his people without heavy concessions. But for now, he had something else to think about.

They start to land and Nakia does one last manual radar sweep of the area. Barnes is supposed to be in isolation here, nothing but some goats for company. They dis-embark together, Ross looking more uncomfortable by the minute. It amuses Nakia despite the situation. The American agent knew what James Barnes is capable of, even with one arm.

The house looks uninhabited from where they are by the shuttle but looks can be deceiving.

She tells Ross, “Wait for me.” The agent doesn’t argue, and she makes her way to stand in front of the open doorway of the Border Tribe style house. She doesn’t enter the doorway; she hasn’t been invited and she suspects the soldier isn’t too far.

“Mr. Barnes? My name is Nakia, I am here on T’Challa’s behalf. There’s been some changes that you need to be aware of.” There’s no answer so she continues:

“T’Challa promised to remove your previous conditioning and his sister, princess Shuri whom you’ve met has started the process. Unfortunately, T’Challa is no longer king, he’s… dead in fact. So, he himself cannot make good on his promise. But his sister, his mother, and I are willing to help you.” Still no response, but now she can hear something within the house that may be movement.

“Mr. Barnes, please come out. I need to speak with you. I worry the current king may cause you harm if you aren’t moved to a more secure location or leave the country.” Another odd sound but no one comes out. 

She’s beginning to wonder if this was the right way to approach the man when a voice asks from within the house, “Who’s with you? You gave me your name but not his.”

Oh... “I am with an American agent, Everett Ross. He was brought here on T’Challa’s orders for medical treatment.”  
James Barnes takes his time to respond.

“Where’s the princess?”

“She’s at a safe house. It’s where I would like to bring you to as well.” Being out in the open, even at a secluded location like this, isn’t safe for extended periods of time.

Nakia expects more back and forth, maybe even some questions to prove what she was saying is really true. But James Barnes chooses then to step out. The man is taller than she expects, she’s only seen him in bad video footage.

“Thank you. The situation right now isn’t good. We’re currently dealing with an unexpected regime change and—”

“Who killed T’Challa?”

“The new king. You may know him when he went by Erik Stevens.”

“Was there a coup?” James Barnes seems allergic to speaking and Nakia can’t tell if he recognizes the name or not.

“No. It was a legal challenge. By Wakandan law, Erik Stevens is the rightful king. It’s why I came to find you.”

James Barnes looks from where Ross is standing by the shuttle then back to her. His gaze asks a question Nakia is not expecting at all. But she supposes considering the man’s history makes total sense. She gives him a stiff shake of her head before saying, “I will explain as much as I can once we are at the safe house. It’s your choice to leave the country or stay. The princess can help you once she has her tools ready.”

“Does Steve know about this?” That’s the longest sentence he’s spoken since this odd exchange began. Nakia assumes he means Captain Rogers.

“No. T’Challa was killed 3 days ago. I’ve been focused on keeping the princess and her mother safe in the interim.”

Barnes nods and starts to walk in the direction of the shuttle, Nakia follows.

When they arrive at the base of the shuttle Ross greets Barnes stiffly. The former assassin doesn’t respond. The trip back to the safe house is quieter than the trip to get Barnes. Ross had been almost chatty before, now with the addition of James Barnes he seems less inclined. Barnes is almost statuesque in his silence.


	4. Shuri

One of the first things she tries to do once she's allowed access to the underground lab’s private network is to ping her own lab back in the palace. This isn’t like reconnecting her kimoyo beads and she’s mostly confident her attempts to access the system wouldn’t be noticed by anyone or trackable. She's careful (of course) but her own systems keep asking for all this information the private network refuses to give. She gives up after the 6th denial and tries to check other things. Official news has yet to report her brother's death, only Killmonger’s ascension. Commentary and other official reports are suspiciously sanitized with very little explanation or details. No mention of Zuri’s death during the challenge either.

Despite the strong temptation she doesn’t connect to the country-wide network, sticking to the tiny private network of the underground lab. It’s enough to browse basic news—which tells her very little of what is actually going on. She can’t access social pages without some identifying credentials, so she can’t see people's comments and discussion threads. It’s very frustrating. When she grows tired of browsing the limited spaces she could, she sits and waits.  
She doesn't get it, were they not going to acknowledge her brother's death? Could Killmonger truly just become king in such an unorthodox matter and face no repercussions? Where was the council, the conservatives? Why was everyone being so careful? Or was this her cousin’s doing as well, was he censoring the official channels? It makes more sense the more she thinks about it.

There comes a chime announcing someone was at the safe house’s door entrance. Shuri pulls up the video camera to see Ross, Barnes and a bit farther away, Nakia. Her heartbeat slows some and the three enter. Once inside Nakia leads both men down to the underground rooms where Shuri is waiting. Had Barnes decided to stay? Or was this just a pit stop till they could take him out of Wakanda? Could he even help them? Killmonger wouldn't be easily beaten now that he had the herb.

Nakia, then Ross then Barnes file into the room.

"Welcome back." She's not sure what else to say or what would come next besides more waiting for her mother to return.

Nakia sends a small smile her way at the same time Ross greets her. Barnes doesn't say anything at all. Shuri takes the opportunity to relay some of her findings. "I don't have everything I need but I'm confident I can make do with the equipment here." It would be more than adequate for the deep conditioning Barnes needed. Just not with all the handy features she's added over the years to her own lab.

"Good. What's your time estimate for Mr. Barnes here?" Nakia is vague so Shuri responds in kind. "Functional? 1-2 weeks. But it will be the only thing I can work on and I would like time after to observe it's all working as intended." It’s a very optimistic estimate but Shuri has nothing but time and a situation that demanded it.

Nakia turns to James Barnes. "We may be entering civil war quite soon. Once Shuri is done I or someone else can transport you out of the country."

Barnes doesn't respond immediately and for a moment Shuri wonders if he's even listening. His expression is—well it reminds Shuri of a doll. Different from the martial stillness of Dora or Kingsguard on duty. Then the man asks, "What are the stakes? With your new king?"

Nakia seems to consider the question, uncrossing her arms. "He doesn't support Wakanda's current isolation policy. I think if given time he would start a world war... and win."

This is the first time Shuri's heard Nakia describe their current situation in terms beyond Wakanda. She's not sure how to take it. A world *war*? Wasn't that a bit of an exaggeration? But then Nakia would know, more wouldn't she? Shuri hopes Nakia is wrong.

"You're serious." Ross breaks the silence that descends after Nakia speaks. Nakia doesn't acknowledge the American agent. Attention on Barnes she says, "I am asking on behalf of Wakanda, and Shuri—T'Challa's heir for your help."

It's the first time she's said what Shuri knows it's true. She doesn't like the finality in it, doesn't like how unprepared and wrong everything feels.

"I'm not your guy." Barnes says and some of Shuri's hope deflates with it. She doesn't know what she had been expecting him to say.

"We don’t want an assassin. What we need is a bodyguard."

"Are you giving me a choice here?" Barnes doesn't sound like he believes it. A quiet part of Shuri concurs, they didn't need his permission or consent. But Shuri on behalf of the promise T'Challa made to the man asked for it.

"Yes. You have time to think about it. The soonest you can leave is 12 days from now." Nakia is all business. Shuri wonders where she got that calculation from. Perhaps when the Border Patrol rotated? Could she even feasibly get Barnes out? Why hadn't she made the same offer to Ross or had she already?

Barnes doesn't say anything else and Nakia doesn't seem to expect it. Ross on the other hand—"How do you plan to move him? You told me; Border Patrol is on high alert."

Nakia explains with less courtesy than she gave Barnes. "James Barnes isn't you. He can be shipped out as cargo or find his own way given direction. You..." Nakia shrugs. "It's more complicated, you aren't an asylum case."

"Then what am I? I didn't ask to come here, T'Challa brought me here." On Nakia's behalf goes unsaid.

"You were a humanitarian case when T'Challa was king, now it’s different." Like before when Nakia talks to Ross, Shuri gets the impression they're having more than one conversation and what the American agent is hearing is different from what she's hearing. What she takes away from their conversation and Nakia's own admission is that James Barnes would never truly be a threat to Wakanda. Not now that he could still be turned to their whims with the conditioning he underwent. Certainly not after Shuri was done supplanting those old commands with new more complex ones. Benign mostly but still commands.

"Okay then." Ross says to no one in particular this time.

Shuri clears her throat, mind shifting into work mode and Nakia gets the hint. She corralls Ross back up the stairs, leaving Shuri and Barnes alone.

Shuri walks closer to where Barnes is, careful to give him space. She doesn't have her kimoyo beads to record notes for her and the realization irks her. Having to physically write things down takes her eerily back to her time at school, and the lecturers that would disallow certain technology in the classroom unless accessibility demanded it. 

"Have you lost track of time in the last two weeks?" She didn't have all her previous notes on hand but that was something she remembers that would affect how quickly the next few days went.

James Barnes shakes his head, in a non-verbal ‘no.’

"Your arm, any issues?"

Another shake of the head from Barnes, accompanied by a soft “No.”

Shuri smiles, this at least was something she could actually fix. “Excellent. Now I'm going to run some more tests, follow me."


	5. Nakia - 6 days since N’Jadaka wins

Nakia spends most of her day bent over a tiny workstation, poring over video records, local feeds and every bit of official information she can get access to without raising alarm. Not far from where she is Ross is occupied with a children’s toy. He doesn’t know it, but it will hopefully distract him for some time. Down below the safe house’ first layer, Shuri is in the make-shift lab with James Barnes.

It doesn’t feel like enough, not while the future rests so precariously. She knows she made good choices based on the information she has available, about the Division, about N’Jadaka, about where things could potentially go, yet all manner of worst-case scenarios run through her mind. It has been five days since Ramonda left for Jabari lands, with still no word. There was a strong possibility the Jabari Lord would refuse and Nakia can only pray for Ramonda’s safety while they waited.

Nakia doesn’t go to bed till after midnight, she lies awake for hours before sleep finally takes her. She wakes up scant hours later in the early morning. Ross as well as Barnes appear to be sleeping. She walks past their sleeping forms in the sleeping quarter of the safe house in search of Shuri. She finds the young woman awake and working at a large workstation, a large holographic display to her left.

“Good morning.” Nakia’s emotions are a mix of pride and worry—had Shuri slept at all?

Shuri pauses in her work as if startled, before turning to greet her. The arms of her top have been pulled back to reveal wiry arms.

“Morning.” Shuri’s voice is rough, leading Nakia to believe she hadn’t slept.

“What are you working on?” Nakia doesn’t recognize the material Shuri is manipulating on the lab table.

“I’m testing a theory.” Shuri responds vaguely and re-focuses intently on the work. They lapse into silence and Nakia simply observes, there are nano-machines moving with Shuri’s direction and ongoing calculations she can neither guess the meaning or goal of. Were Shuri better rested she might ask as to an update on the time estimate Shuri gave for Barnes or perhaps make more small talk. As it is, she would prefer that Shuri get some rest. She knows better than to command the young woman to do anything, however. She’s not so obtuse as to be unaware why Shuri may not wish to sleep. Nakia herself hasn’t slept for longer than three hours in days. Grief, apprehension, anxiety are her bedfellows even in sleep.

When Shuri appears to reach a stopping point and the calculations seem to complete, Nakia walks closer to where Shuri is. Shuri hears her approach and looks up, her expression is unexpected. Before where there had been deep concentration, Nakia can only see an odd forlorn look. She interprets the change to be grief and acts accordingly.  
“Shuri…? Dear why don’t you sit with me for a bit?” There was tea somewhere upstairs, perhaps she should have brought some with her.

Shuri doesn’t speak, simply shaking her head ‘no.’ The set of her jaw tells Nakia she is fighting tears. When Shuri makes no move to continue working or to sit on the nearby chaise Nakia pointed to, Nakia makes the decision for her. Carefully she extends a hand, telegraphing the move clearly for Shuri to see, giving her long seconds to move away, to refuse the offer of comfort if she wished. Shuri doesn’t and Nakia wraps her in an embrace, her arms settling around slender shoulders and her chin resting on Shuri’s shoulder. She stands like that, simply holding Shuri and waits.

At first Shuri is stiff and unresponsive, and Nakia wonders If she will pull away. Shuri doesn’t pull away eventually relaxing into the embrace, shortly after Nakia can feel a soft trembling as the princess’ body shakes with silent tears. Shuri had cried at Challenge Falls, big ugly sobs that made Nakia want to soothe her till the tears subsided. This is different.

Nakia rocks them both gently after a while, waiting patiently. Shuri hasn’t spoken much since they left the capital, since her mother went off to Jabari lands. The uncharacteristic quietness, the lack of the usual energy and exuberance is worse than tears. When the tears stop or at least Shuri stops shaking, Nakia guides them both to sit. Shuri’s hands come up to steady herself, gripping the front of Nakia’s blouse as she does.

The motion brushes Nakia’s breast, the sensation isn’t unpleasant. Nakia sits down first, pulling Shuri to sit with her, lacing her right hand with Shuri’s left. Shuri sits, her leg resting on Nakia’s and leaning heavily into Nakia’s side. Nakia encourages the contact, wishing she had a handkerchief or cloth to clean Shuri’s face where tears and snot ran down freely.

This silence is more comfortable, despite the sadness pervading it.

Shuri’s head comes to rest after a while on her shoulder, settling the weight of her body pressed to Nakia’s side. It reminds her bittersweetly of the morning of T’Challa’s coronation. It takes too much effort to speak and she has very little to say. She doesn’t attempt to move from the sofa till Shuri’s breathing relaxes into uneasy sleep. Nakia lays her down gently to rest before going to grab a blanket for cover.

She takes the elevator lift back up to the first level and finds James Barnes is awake. The man is sitting by the small kitchen’s counter space. He greets her with a look, before his eyes flicker once to where Ross is still sleeping. She takes the hint and walks closer to him to speak. Nakia has to swallow a few times, her throat is rough from her own unshed tears. Now is as good a time as any she supposes to talk about what she would like from him.

“We have no intention of holding you hostage. Shuri will do her best to honor T’Challa’s promise to you.” Barnes in turn simply nods, his one hand coming up to adjust the hair which fell to cover his face partially. Nakia couldn’t be direct at the time in full view of Ross, but she doesn’t think she needs to. James Barnes has already displayed good instincts in his assessment of the situation and Ross’ position therein.

“You want a bodyguard.” Barnes’ tone is gruff but not unkind.

Nakia nods, once. If Ramonda is successful, if things didn’t escalate to unmanageable levels, they would still have to keep Shuri alive long enough to claim the throne upon N’Jadaka’s removal. She isn’t happy to use a foreign agent, especially one like Barnes on Wakandan territory, but this is an extreme circumstance. She isn’t just fighting N’Jadaka but her own fellow Wakandans, they wouldn’t hesitate. Not if the message she received days previously held any truth. She wouldn’t break her oath to Ramonda. She would use any means necessary and her life if it came to it.  
“I have to leave soon; I can’t stay with her.” She needed to keep her eye on the pulse of the larger going-ons. It would be very unwise to take Shuri with her.

“Him?” Barnes points to the sleeping occupant in the open room with his gaze alone.

Nakia signs back instead of speaking in a sign language Barnes would understand but Ross if he were awake would not. “I don’t trust him. He’s worked with Erik Stevens.”

Barnes’ nostrils flare indicating his understanding, but he makes no other sound or movement in response. Nakia continues in sign, “I need to keep an eye on him, without endangering Shuri unnecessarily.”

Out loud she says, “He’s a friend, he saved my life.”

The look Barnes gives her after her last words almost make her smile.

“He tried to lock me up.” Barnes' tone is dry and Nakia nods, signs one last time. She hasn’t forgotten the question he asked upon their meeting. An ‘Is he a threat I should deal with’ sort of question. “If he becomes an issue, we will deal with him.”

\--

Hours later in the afternoon, she finds Shuri in her new lab curled up in a chair reading. A quick glance tells her it must be some sort of journal, Shuri is doing something else in her other hand, fingers moving in Wakandan sign language to manipulate the other screen near to her face... perhaps translation? Nakia doesn't interrupt, and sits not too far from Shuri, waiting patiently to see if the two of them could talk. Eventually Shuri looks up and Nakia makes meaningful eye contact. Shuri in turn, reluctantly closes the screens she had just been using.

"Has something come up?" Shuri's voice is a little hoarse, as if she'd been crying or just awoke. Nakia shakes her head.

"Not since I last checked. There's some things I think we should discuss now. Do you have time?"

Shuri licks her bottom lip and doesn't answer. Nakia waits, patient.

"Will this be about your Division?" Shuri doesn't look particularly interested or excited for whatever Nakia might tell her. Her choice of words is also odd to Nakia. When most referred to Wakanda's spy group, they simply said, 'War Dogs' and typically only those within the group or working adjacent referred to them as the 'Division' as that carried historical weight and referred to an origin and history Wakandans weren’t typically taught and official records tended to avoid. What has Shuri been reading lately? In all these hours of waiting and slow-paced work?

"Partly. I don't know how much you've been able to glean from the news you have access to, but I've kept some contact and--"

"Is that safe?" Shuri interrupts and Nakia frowns.

"I have news, I think you should know." She dances around the question wanting Shuri to refocus on the point of her coming. Shuri nods, expressing a mix of anxiety and irritation.

"After we left the capital, Killmonger issued an edict." Shuri has stuck steadfast to his moniker so Nakia does the same. "Most of it concerned defense and security so most people ignored it, however it's very important. It places Wakanda effectively under martial law." The Black Panther and king weren’t always the same. T’Challa had served as Black Panther before he became king. The Black Panther was the country’s security chief, and the king the country’s nominal leader. Both came with few restrictions and much responsibility, martial law rescinded most restrictions.

Shuri simply stares, "How?"

Nakia sighs, "Quite easily. Why that matters is now, he has the power to detain anyone, Shuri. If he claims security as his justification anyway.” And once detained… it was easy to make people disappear.

"He shouldn't be able to do that. The council--"

"The council handles internal affairs and is meant to advise. The Black Panther is Wakanda's head of security and defense." The only person who could go against him in an instance like this was the General, and she hadn't.  
"That was the first day. What's happened since then?" Shuri's tongue once again peeks out to wet her bottom lip and stays there for terse seconds. Nakia's gaze drifts to and away, as she orders her thoughts.

Lots of things have happened in the few days they've been away, most of it outside of Wakanda. Most of it things Shuri and the average Wakandan wouldn't care about. What Shuri means is what has happened in *Wakanda* since then.

"He burnt the heart shaped herb garden." That was something she had anticipated at least.

"He _burnt_ the garden?" Shuri sounds aghast, disbelieving. "Why isn't that on the news? Nakia if he really burnt the garden--"

"It's not the first-time a for a Black Panther, the last-"

"Baru Cormorant. Nakia there was a civil war. Are you really sure he did? The council would never stand for it, or the priests. It would be on the news!" Shuri is vehement.

"The priesthood of Bast is very upset, and the council is... worried. As for why it's not on the news... It might be for the same reason T'Challa isn't on the news." In one day Wakanda had gained a new king, lost their previous one and it had been barely reported. Of course, there had been social media responses, discussions in meeting places, amongst friends and family. But official news had continued as if nothing changed, they'd done the regular greetings and introductions, fluff pieces for the country's new king. There had been no official reports for T'Challa's death at their new king's hand. Zuri, the head priest murdered during the challenge, hadn't even been given a public obituary, his extended family in mourning and with little explanation besides the very vague allusions of severe impropriety.

"He killed a head priest! How can no one care?" Shuri practically shouts. Nakia gives Shuri time to fume.

"Zuri interfered in an ongoing challenge, it isn't considered murder." Just like T'Challa's death.

"B-but the council—Okoye! Surely they can see what he's doing is wrong?"

Nakia takes no pleasure in what she says next. "The council doesn't want a civil war; they wouldn't want to alarm the tribes. Not after..." One assassinated king, another dead one, a new foreign one and even more uncertainty about the proper course of action. She doesn't say, the council is very scared, and they will cover up whatever is really going on until they can't any longer. She doesn't say, our traditions have placed N'Jadaka as the proper head, and if we go against him, we will be going against our traditions. She doesn't say, 'The ruling monarch and Black panther have always had the power to do whatever they liked when it comes to security.'

Nakia can tell from Shuri's expression that she wants to argue. Instead Shuri asks, "What do you think he will do next?"

This is what Nakia wanted to talk about in the first place. She clears her throat. "I think he will use the growing unrest outside of Wakanda to push public opinion to something drastic."

"How drastic?"

Nakia explains and watches the blood drain from Shuri's face.


	6. Shuri - 7 days since N’Jadaka wins

Shuri wakes up alone, head stuffy from crying. She startles out of the prone position when she realizes the shadow, she dismissed upon waking was actually a person. James Barnes stands some distance away like a statue. Shuri doesn’t say anything though her rough gasp probably gave away her surprise. Gingerly, she stands up from the sofa and checks the time. It’s almost evening, she hadn’t meant to sleep that long or at all. She swallows around the lump in her throat and goes looking for water. After some long sips from the refreshment station she addresses Barnes. The man still hasn’t moved from where she first saw him when she woke.

“May I speak to ‘soldier?’” Her preliminary assessments and the work she did the day before revealed significant fractures in the man’s personality. Not quite a full-on disorder but definitely some irregularities to how he perceived himself.

“Speaking.” There doesn’t appear to be any discernible change to Barnes and Shuri wonders at the sort of horribly ineffective methods used on him. That they were able to create anything usable at all is a minor miracle, and more credit to Barnes than the capabilities of the people who used him. A part of her feels giddy at the opportunity to work with someone like Barnes, and she took many notes the day before reflecting her theories, expectations and potential issues. The rest of her feels a slow setting rage. She doesn’t have the time to parse through the man’s memories, pick out the minute details but the brief (and at times vague) summary of accounts is enough and increasingly horrific. Her one-week estimate was a hopeful one, she doesn’t think it will be enough.

“Good morning.” Then she uses a codeword she recently removed and waits. A long moment where nothing happens passes and then a puzzled expression on the man’s face. She nods and smiles, one down many more to go. “Good, may I speak to ‘Self’?”

They repeat the process again, and she nods and smiles when the codeword has no discernible effect. She has to start small, go piece by piece till every single command, every lingering conditioning is struck from Barnes’ psyche. She runs through a few like that, testing and making light conversation as she goes. Once again, she marvels at the man’s ability to stay still, occupying space in a way she finds is better suited to an object than a person. 

As she works her mind wanders, on what else she could do with the equipment and tools available to her. She only had a tiny bit of vibranium to work with, a big difference from her labs under the mountain but she would try and put together a few things. Maybe even check some of the prototypes she had worked on in earlier years that used other materials. Then she remembers the evening before and loses her train of thought. She hasn’t really cried like that, not since the challenge itself. It had felt good—cathartic actually to cry. She had slept almost restfully yesterday. 

Two hours into it, Barnes asks what exactly she’s doing. His tone has an incredulous quality. Shuri explains, skipping as many of the high-level details as she can to focus on the main points as she’s concluded. The first step to removing the conditioning would be to remove the associations Barnes had been taught with the codewords, commands even a few gestures. Her initial scans, and some testing revealed some but not all. The easy part was now, the hard part would be forming new connections and testing exhaustively that no lingering conditioning or unwanted effects existed. She’s going over potential side-effects of the work she will be doing, when they’re interrupted by Nakia.

The woman comes down to the basement level rapidly, and Shuri’s first thought, feeling dismayed is that they had to leave or something terrible has happened. But when she sees Nakia’s expression the woman is beaming, a smile on her lips. “I’ve received word from your mother.” She announces and Shuri’s heart tight in her chest unclenches.

“Where is she?” What sort of word? Had the Jabari agreed to assist? When would Shuri see her?

“We will be meeting her soon, she—”

“Is she still with the Jabari?” What more did they have to say? Either they helped or they didn’t.

“Let me finish.” Nakia’s tone is stern and Shuri quiets at the correction.

“Lord M’Baku will be with her, as will some of his men. He refused our initial offer—we will discuss matters further when we meet.”

It’s all she can do to parse the information, the Jabari hadn’t agreed, but M’Baku wanted to meet, what did that mean exactly? Wait, Nakia had been about to say something before Shuri interrupted.

“You were saying something about my mother, what was it?” Shuri doesn’t want to miss anything.

Nakia nods, “Your mother is well, she worries for you, but I’ve assured her you are fine.”

She is her mother’s only child now.

“How soon will we leave?” It may only take a matter of hours to be where her mother is, but the process of covering their tracks and reducing the ability for anyone to track them makes any trip take even longer.

“This evening, we will sleep on the way there I suppose.” Nakia’s gaze flickers from her to Barnes. Then she asks, “Are things going well?”

“They are, I haven’t run into issues yet.” Shuri would encounter some very soon she’s sure, unfortunately. Once she ran out of commands to test and had to delve more deeply to find them and employ methods, she’s only seen used in theory on a living subject.

“That’s good to hear.” Then Nakia stops speaking English.

“Lord M’Baku refused the herb, your mother thinks he wants to challenge N’Jadaka. I am not sure if he will support your claim or not.”

“He can’t beat him without the herb.” M’Baku refusing the herb is not the only problem Shuri has with what Nakia just told her but that’s what she immediately thinks. Why would Killmonger accept a challenge from the Jabari? Her brother wouldn’t have, and the only reason they even came close in the first place was because of the tradition of challenge day.

“Your mother has told him, but he seems set. If he announces himself and is turned away, then—” Nakia trails off when Barnes makes an uncharacteristic clicking noise. Shuri turns to face where Nakia is facing, Ross is with them now. The change in atmosphere is immediate and Nakia switches oh so casually to English.

“We don’t have much time, and the trip might take several hours, please get ready.” Then Nakia is talking to Ross and leading him back up to the 1st level. Shuri shoots Barnes a look, he hadn’t understood what they were saying, neither would Ross. Yet he alerted them anyway about Ross eavesdropping. “Thank you, I think we’re done for today.”  
She gets a curt nod in response and the soldier is moving upstairs to join Nakia and Ross.


	7. Nakia

Nakia drinks in the sight of Wakanda’s former queen as if she were an oasis in the desert. The older woman looks well, as promised, and is flanked by the attendants that followed her after they fled. One of the attendants sports a long burn mark on their arm but that is the only oddness Nakia can see in the group. Standing next to them is Lord M’Baku and his attending tribesmen. Shuri leads their party of four and Nakia mentally prepares herself for the ensuing conversation. If Nakia had her way, they would meet first privately, just her, Ramonda, and Shuri. But there is no place to stow their two—charity cases—and she can feel the judgement rolling off Lord M’Baku and his tribesmen upon closer observation of just who was accompanying Wakanda’s would-be queen.

Nakia can feel Shuri’s impatience to be near her mother, to race to her and embrace her yet Shuri maintains a proper pace on their walk from the shuttle that brought them to the meeting location to where her mother and the Jabari are waiting. Shuri is dressed for battle in dark sleek armor. Nakia opted for a more traditional style, reminiscent of the Dora Milaje uniform. Barnes is still wearing the clothes he was given on arrival; without his prosthetic arm he makes quite the sight. Beside him Ross is almost an afterthought, short with his cropped features. Yet the American agent carries himself in a way that promises Nakia trouble whenever he finds opportunity and motive.

Shuri greets Lord M’Baku first as is proper before enveloping her mother in a hug that stretches for several moments. When mother and daughter separate, Nakia addresses Lord M’Baku on Shuri’s behalf.

“Great Gorilla, thank you for agreeing to this meeting.”

“It is no trouble. Your queen mother would not leave us otherwise. My council of mothers did not want to extend her stay any further.” M’Baku’s tone is genial and a bit sarcastic even if the implications are less warm. Nakia imagines just what might have occurred during her stay, what sort of trouble might have arisen.

Nakia speaks plainly, “You refused our initial offer, what do you intend instead?”

Lord M’Baku’s genial smile disappears. “I intend to keep out of Panther Tribe affairs.”

“This goes beyond tribal politics Lord M’Baku.”

“So you say. Well then—Who will take his place? The line is dead.” Some eyes turn to Shuri at M’Baku’s pronouncement.

Nakia responds vehemently. “T’Challa’s heir and Wakanda’s princess lives.”

M’Baku laughs, Nakia’s hand twitches.

When his laughing is finally dying down, Shuri says, “Are you finished?”

M’Baku coughs once, another deep belly laugh, then continues, “Yes, now name me a serious candidate.”

“I am T’Challa’s heir, I am the obvious choice.” Shuri’s voice is perfectly level, despite her clenched fists. 

“You are a child, who would follow you?” M’Baku doesn’t refer to her girlhood, but rather her age as a testament to her experience. He had done the same during his failed challenge. 

Shuri opens her mouth to speak and Nakia shoots her a look. It wouldn’t do to interrupt their appointed leader, but Shuri had to remember herself. M’Baku could say what he wished but Shuri is indeed T’Challa’s heir. Shuri seems to gather herself, and this time when she speaks it’s less reactive and more measured.

“N’Jadaka is not a suitable king, he has no respect for Wakanda or its people. His actions during the challenge and after are proof. I will defend my rightful title and my country with or without Jabari support.”

M’Baku doesn’t immediately react, for which Nakia is grateful, perhaps he would consider the stakes beyond the Jabari.

“Your Lady, she did not reject him, did she?” M’Baku’s tone is still too playful for Nakia’s liking, and a reminder of what could have happened, the herb rejected Black Panthers before. 

When Shuri doesn’t speak Ramonda responds more smoothly.

“N’Jadaka is Panther Tribe. The herb rarely if ever rejects Bashenga’s direct descendants.”

An uneasy look passes between Lord M’Baku and one of his men.

M’Baku asks, “And for others?” 

Nakia is beginning to see why the Jabari leader is not too eager to take the herb. 

“The goddess’ ways are beyond our knowing.”

“I don’t serve your Lady.” M’Baku drawls, tone derisive.

Before the discussion can further derail, Nakia cuts in.

“You were right to refuse the herb, given the current situation. However this situation could become dire not just for the four tribes but the Jabari as well.”

Lord M’Baku responds with an angry expression.

“The day the Panther Tribe conquer the Jabari then perhaps they will be deserving of the fealty they demand from the other tribes.” An insult and a threat.

“As we speak, he is mobilizing the dogs of war to wage war across the world, openly. Those border disputes? He doesn’t care, he will simply kill any in his way.”

“Lowland may be sheep to slaughter but we are not.” M’Baku speaks decisively and Nakia just wants to yell in frustration. Ramonda loses the veneer of diplomacy she has been holding on to, speaking in the sharp tongue of the Jabari. M’Baku responds in kind and they go back and forth with everyone else watching and only the Jabari attendants understand.

When their conversation ends, M’Baku looks slightly more contrite. Nakia doesn’t know whether to be grateful or annoyed. This discussion is going nowhere. Particularly if Lord M’Baku failed to understand the level and severity of the threat N’Jadaka posed. Shuri addresses M’Baku.

“Killmonger killed a priest of Bast then he killed my brother. You insulted me during the last Challenge Day for shirking tradition, this man is worse. Say what you will about the way we do things, but we haven’t lost all our senses. Wakanda lives because we have hidden ourselves away. Killmonger will not allow Wakanda to stay hidden. He has a vendetta; he will use all of Wakanda’s might and he will sacrifice all of us in his war.”

M’Baku responds with some derision, “You speak of one man as if he is a god.”

“Lord M’Baku, there are far too many ways to destroy ourselves and our neighbors never mind a world that only just discovered atomic theory. Whatever their original purpose, our advancements are now weapons in Killmonger’s arsenal.”

Nakia’s admiration for the simplicity of Shuri’s argument is mirrored in the understanding signified by the dawning seriousness on their faces. This wasn’t just about Wakanda. This is a global threat, one with the keys to unlimited destruction given enough time. Though it need not come to that, the War Dog Division alone could wreak havoc enough for several nations.

Ramonda concurs, “We are all brave and capable but a war with the world is not a small matter and that is where we are headed.”

“Bashenga and the children of his daughters have long been a scourge to the tribes, now it will become clear to those who are not Jabari. No man should have all that power.” M’Baku’s voice is tinged with the bitterness of a long-conflicted history. The current situation doesn’t disagree with his assessment.

If Shuri takes offense it doesn’t show on her face. “We will remove Killmonger. With or without your assistance. If you do not stand with us, your name will be remembered amongst those who saw the danger and looked away.” 

“Are you going to assassinate him?” M’Baku questions.

Nakia speaks before Shuri can, “It may not come to that. Just as we do not agree with his plans there will be others. He has and will make mistakes we can capitalize upon.” Least of all the council and the various tribes, they were not so united as to move so drastically from long held tradition.

“…and your princess? What does she know about leading people?” Lord M’Baku’s question is pointed further confirming Jabari man was less concerned for Shuri’s gender and age and more for her… ability. It made sense with what she knew of the Jabari, mostly led by older women—what Mining Tribe would call ‘Clan Mothers.’

Nakia looks from M’Baku, to Ramonda, and then finally Shuri.

Shuri’s expression is hard, stiff from her obvious restraint, grief and rising anger. “Watch me.”


	8. Shuri

They’ve made a small camp not too far from where they first met her mother and the Jabari escort. Nakia says they have only a few hours before they have to clear the area. Currently Nakia is briefing Lord M’Baku, while the Jabari that accompanied him are keeping watch over their white guests. Within the small encampment and in the relative privacy of the tent Shuri has placed, she and her mother discuss. Her mother looks bone tired and that exhaustion spurs a deep sadness within Shuri. The lines around her mother’s eyes, have they always looked so deep? The temptation to sink into the self-pity that threatened to overtake her most when she is alone rises again. Her father, her brother…

Ramonda tells her, “They are facing several issues, it’s why M’Baku challenged T’Challa. They are too proud to ask for help but we will give it anyway.” Her mother’s tone, brusque and stern forces the wave of self-pity forming within her back. This would be something actionable, something that isn’t ‘sit and wait.’

Unsaid is the fact they (and Wakanda) also needed help. This would not be some charitable work but an exchange. It must be very dire for Lord M’Baku to even consider _her_ assistance. The man has been nothing but derisive towards her. 

“What sort of issues are they having?”

“Birth issues, food issues, their sacred trees are dying along with a host of smaller issues that would have been fixed years ago… if their fore-mothers were not so proud.” Her mother outlines an overview and Shuri puzzles at the extent of what such ‘issues’ could mean.

She hopes even the Jabari would know not to mix too closely within the same family trees. The ‘food issue’ at least sounds more like something she could assist with. A host of her first projects had been agricultural based. She felt less confident about ‘sacred trees.’ She’s only ever read about the special Jabari wood that they guarded as fiercely as the rest of Wakanda did vibranium. But her mother has presumably made a promise and their support hinged on her being able to solve some of these issues. No pressure.

“I need more information.” She needs more than information, she needs tools she doesn’t have access to, trained expertise she can no longer communicate with—

“I’ve brought written accounts with me, pictures and some rudimentary data. Enough hopefully for you to get started.”  
Shuri is surprised despite herself, no wonder her mother had been gone so long. She needed to not only convince the Jabari to come down a second time from the mountain but give her information enough to give to someone else. Someone who the Jabari, if M’Baku is any indication, did not trust.

Shuri doubts she will be allowed to visit the heart of the issues her mother is describing or get much out of the Jabari who are now accompanying them. But what her mother has brought her is something, not enough of course but she would make do.

They discuss more but exhaustion keeps it brief. She finds the courage to ask, feeling childish and awkward as she does: “How have you been sleeping? You look…” She doesn’t finish her sentence. Grief has stripped them both of something important. Her mother is no longer infallible to her, not when her father and brother are dead.

“I am… sustained by Bast’s grace.”

The familiar words ring hollow to Shuri.

“What will you do now?” She knows what she will be doing, between the set of impossible tasks the Jabari have set for her and her brother’s promise to James Buchanan Barnes.

Her mother’s brows crease, as if remembering something she had forgotten. “I will not be staying with your group. It would be unwise.”

This is news to Shuri. It also doesn’t answer her question. “Where will you go?” She can’t quite keep the panic out of her rising tone. It’s one thing for her mother to go negotiate with the Jabari, another entirely for her to leave Shuri again.

Her mother’s lips press into a line and her expression tells Shuri to watch her tone.

“I have received several offers to shelter me, till this situation passes. I will accept one of those offers once we are sure your safe house is cleared for extended use.”

“From who!?” Shuri gives up trying to hide her panic and her total dislike for the situation. Too many decisions about her and the future were being made without her input. She is trying to understand the situation and trusts her mother and Nakia know what they’re doing but this sounds risky.

“Shuri.” One word is all her mother usually needs to make her behave, make her toe the line of propriety and respect. This is not like usual, so she doesn’t immediately stop.

“I don’t want you to leave me, mother please. We have to stay together, now more than ever.”

She isn’t a child, even if the people around her were intentionally or unintentionally treating her like one. Nakia’s actions and her carefully stated words these past few days have driven home the fact that things were not the same. They might never be. Her brother, her father were dead. Anyone who took them in would be going in direct opposition to Killmonger, who either wanted them dead or in custody.If things went sour—what if it were just a trap to lure her mother in so she could be captured.

She regrets her words after she speaks, expecting a reprimand, or some form of criticism for speaking out of turn and acting so childishly. She had just finished claiming her right to lead yet now she is throwing a tantrum over her mother leaving her. When none comes, she waits to see if her mother would answer her. She can’t quite manage to look the older woman in the eye.

“Do you think I want to leave you, Shuri?” Her mother's voice is wet from tears. Shuri is too scared to shed herself. She knows if she starts it won’t end and she cannot cry at this moment. The question is worse than any punishment, any reprimand. It’s exactly what she deserves for making her mother cry.

“Mother—I’m sorry, please…” Nothing she thinks to say is enough. Everything is too childish, too lost. She is not the queen they need her to be. She is only Shuri.

Her mother takes a deep shuddering breath then says, firmly and gentler than Shuri deserves. “I cannot stay with you, Shuri. I want nothing more than to stay with you. But it would be foolish if we were ever betrayed or either of us captured to give them two instead of the one. I must do my best to keep N’Jadaka occupied and to win you support amongst the tribes. Do you understand?” Her mother calls Killmonger by his real name. It breaks Shuri just a bit, the acknowledgement. It’s like one final proof that all this is real.

“I’ll do my best.” Her eyes are burning with unshed tears and the emotion she knows she cannot let herself feel. She needs to remain in control, she needs to help her mother, Nakia and the Jabari and all of Wakanda. She needs to be their queen, Bast help her.


	9. Nakia

Lord M’Baku is not any easier to speak to in private. He had insisted that her white guests not be present for any further discussion between them and she had obliged. So, while his accompanying retinue watched the two men, she and Lord M’Baku discussed.

In between his barbs and her censure they considered their next steps. The Jabari had their own way of getting news so first they compared what each party knew and what it didn’t. The Jabari did not know Wakanda’s new king burnt down the heart shaped garden. Nakia did not know N'Jadaka had begun building new agricultural plants. In an area that was historically Jabari territory. M'Baku showed little concern for the loss of the herb garden, and their back and forth paid more attention to the reception of such a decision and which quarters might be open to rebellion and which would not be. M'Baku is not surprised that Wakandan local news made no mention of the king's command or the growing unrest amongst the priesthood of Bast.

After all this is the same news that ignored the ongoing disputes in Jabari contested land and had outright lied when reporting Jabari actions before. The longer they talk the more Nakia gets the feeling that for all the recent issues, much of the conflict between was caused only by the other tribe’s misdeed and not from the Jabari themselves. It's not a good realization and she tries, towards the end of their discussion, to assure M'Baku that after N’Jadaka was deposed, things would be different. M’Baku is not impressed.

"These things will not change because you wish it to, or you ask nicely. If it were so then perhaps the dynasties before this one would have succeeded. No, the time for reconciliation is past. The Jabari people will not wait for the tribes to grow conscience."

Not for the first time Nakia remembers the fight between M'Baku and T'Challa. He almost won. To him and many others inclined to such superstition his loss had been an act of Bast, a rejection of his claim. What would he do now?  
"What if the Panther Tribe never recovers from this? What then?"

M'Baku shakes his head, as if she were not understanding something. "The Panther Tribe's downfall might mean sunset for Lowland Wakanda, but it is only a beginning for the Jabari."

Soon after Ramonda and Shuri return from their tent and they begin to break camp. The hour is now late in the evening and she sets up a new form of correspondence between her and Ramonda before seeing the queen off with M'Baku. Shuri stands very close to Nakia for that part of the proceedings and her expression tells Nakia the princess is only hanging onto her composure by a thread.

Lord M'Baku seems to have no more words for her or Shuri, giving one last disdainful look to Ross and Barnes before leaving. Nakia wonders if any of the tribesmen accompanying M'Baku spoke passable English, the language went in and out of style amongst the tribes but for the Jabari it is probably even more disdained. Once the party of Jabari, Ramonda and her attendants can no longer be seen, something she allows for Shuri's sake—she leads their band of four back to the shuttle.

Since Nakia flew them to the location she has Shuri managing the controls for their trip back. Nakia got maybe 2 hours of sleep in the last two days so she's hoping to get some now, knees propped up on a seat in the room compartment adjacent to the pilot area when someone knocks at the room's entrance.

"Come in." She calls to the door. It's not locked, the knock is a courtesy. The door slides open and Ross walks into the small space. There is only a padded bench and a storage compartment in the room, so he has nowhere to sit. Nakia doesn't make space for him.

Almost the entire breadth of their meeting with Ramonda and the Jabari had occurred in one of three Wakandan dialects. No one except for Shuri had made an attempt to speak to him or Barnes during that time, except M’Baku and that had been to warn Ross the one time he spoke out of turn in the beginning. He must have questions, questions Nakia may or may not answer.

"So... what's the verdict?" Ross sounds expectant.

"The Jabari will assist if they can." Nakia tells him.

"Why didn't Shuri go with them? They're keeping her mother, right?" Ross' question reveals some of what he managed to piece together from the day. No doubt hoping, she would correct any misassumptions he had.  
"The Jabari refused to take Shuri, so she will remain in the safe house for now." They never discussed the Jabari taking Shuri at all nor would Ramonda be returning to Jabari land, but she allows his incorrect assumption to stand.  
"Shuri told me the Jabari are outsiders, Luddites basically. Why do you want their help? I mean...what can they do if they don't have the tech the rest of your people do?"

Nakia bites her cheek and wonders just what the CIA agent’s threat assessments would say if he ever had the chance to write it down.

"The Jabari are warriors; they manage just fine." Ross must know Shuri is the heir presumptive. Nakia is happy to leave him to the assumption that Shuri simply wanted as many fighters as she could convince to support her. Any history savvy Wakandan would know why the Jabari had managed as long as they had been independent of the other tribes and outside of the Black Panther’s reach just fine. They may not have the same technology as the mainland, but they were still ahead of the rest of the world.

Ross nods as if he understands before asking, "Do you have any more news for Stevens? What has he been doing?"  
"The local news is not reporting anything out of the ordinary. So, I can only guess. Thus far he seems to be taking his time." Which is true, in a way. N'Jadaka had not quite destabilized all of Wakanda, the rest of the world were another matter. Several countries were primed to enter a recession these next few weeks. Add that to the newly invigorated protests and suspiciously robust rioting going on in several countries simultaneously… It would be a long few months for many. 

"So... more sit and wait?" Ross sounds frustrated.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Do you know if there's been any formal inquiries for me? Or has someone just been lying to my boss?"

Nakia shakes her head. They told the Busan office they would take Ross to a hospital for treatment and then produced fake documents for his admission. The next step would have been to return him after an agreement was made between him and the Division. Eventually when he didn't report back in, there might be serious inquiries. More likely someone would just produce more fake documents for his 'recovery and treatment' in a place no one could go to or confirm.

"How important are you to your boss?" She doesn't say, 'if we say you're dead they'll believe us.'

"Guess we'll find out." Ross doesn't sound too hopeful.

Long hours later, the four of them arrive back at the safe house. Nakia can't shake off M'Baku's words. For him and thus the whole of Jabari this alliance is only temporary. With everything else on her mind this shouldn’t take so much of her attention but it does. Shuri and Ramonda could not depend on any of the tribe's public or guaranteed support, only the Jabari’s and that had a time limit.


	10. Shuri - 1.5 weeks since N’Jadaka wins

Nakia is leaving the safe house. This time it won’t be for a few hours, or some quick reconnaissance, it will be for days maybe weeks. She has given Shuri a list of tasks, very little has to do with what Shuri is used to. It all relates to politics. Nakia doesn’t just want her to monitor Wakanda’s net and social media to tag people and groups she thinks would be sympathetic to Shuri. No, she also wants Shuri to study—she had sent over a long list of books, journals, textbooks and even some poetry. The subject varies from tribe culture and language to past dynasties and religions. All relating to Wakanda’s long history, a few Shuri has already read thanks to her formal education requirements. But the vast majority are material she’s never engaged with, never needed to care about till now.

They’re the sort of thing T’Challa would have studied when he was her age, the sort of content their baba would quiz him on when they gathered in the ‘family’ room.

There are other things too, Nakia wants her to spend at least a few hours every week doing physical training, Barnes would be assisting with that. Shuri is not looking forward to it at all. She isn’t worried for her safety—she had rudimentary safety commands set for Barnes till she finished deconditioning him. No, this time it’s her own deficiency that makes her less than eager. She did okay when she was younger and took the martial classes her education and her status as princess demanded but she’s never been that interested in hand to hand or any other sort of combat. Now she had to care, she had to train. Even if she would only be the Black Panther for a short amount of time, at least till a more suitable candidate was named as her champion, she needed to be martially ready and Nakia’s special instructions to Barnes (and Shuri’s personal assessment) made it clear she isn’t ready, not as she is now.  
Then there’s the last task Nakia assigned and the one Shuri is going to speak to her about now. Nakia wanted her to write letters, asking for support. The first few would go to specific leaders within the tribes and it was—according to the half-remembered history she learned years previously—the proper way to begin a formal challenge. Before challenge day or any other confrontation, Shuri would need to have support from within the tribes, notable backers and documented grievances. Normally these letters would be discussions had in person, a political sort of courtship but Shuri couldn’t go out in public not where N’Jadaka could find her and no doubt imprison her.

Shuri doesn’t know what to write and she doesn’t know if following this specific Wakandan tradition would be smart. What was stopping one of the people she wrote to from simply reporting it to her cousin? Finally, Shuri doesn’t want Nakia to leave, she wants to convince Nakia to bring Shuri with her, or at least let her run mission support. She wants to feel useful, besides her tinkering and whatever she could manage for the Jabari.

Nakia is doing something on the first level of the safe house at the workstation Shuri helped setup for her when they arrived. She has no displays up and instead Shuri notes the materials sprawled out on her desk. It takes some moments for her to realize what they are. She’s only seen the things in books after all.

Shuri asks, a little queasy: “Do you expect trouble?” Nakia looks up and Shuri gets the feeling the woman knew she’d been there the entire time. It’s the set of her shoulders, there’s no sign of surprise in her face either. Sneaking up on T’Challa had been hard too, not that she had been trying to sneak up on Nakia.

“Not more than usual.” Nakia’s tone is wry said in her usual soft yet deep voice. She sets the mini-bomb back on the desk, her attention on Shuri.

“Why don’t you let me run some machines for you? Extra eyes wouldn’t hurt.” Shuri works hard to keep the plea out of her voice.

Nakia shakes her head, “The risk outweighs the benefit.”

Shuri doesn’t let it drop, “I could *build* a safe space, you know I could.”

Nakia’s gaze is contemplative: “In a few weeks maybe, right now they are running on high alert. You have a distinctive signature, or so I’ve been told.”

Shuri flushes simultaneously with pride that someone she’s probably never met had said that about her and irritation at being told no, again. She moves on to her primary reason for seeking Nakia out.

“Why do you want me to write these letters?” If the only reason is tradition, she wouldn’t do it.

“Your mother asked for them.” One sentence from Nakia and Shuri’s ready-made excuses dry up. She promised her mother she would do her best to help. What were a few letters? Also when had her mother and Nakia had time to talk and what else had they discussed? According to Nakia, her mother has only made contact once since she left Jabari lands days before to meet with them.

“Will she be the one to deliver these letters?” Shuri doesn’t like that at all. Nakia wanted the letters to be physically encrypted for storage in a special drop box and she had assumed maybe naively Nakia would be the one to take them to their intended destination or that she would find a way to deliver them without giving herself away. Shuri knows on some level her mother would be in a precarious position and sometimes dangerous one for the foreseeable future, but she hadn’t quite realized all of what it would entail.

“Some of them. Do you need help writing them?” Nakia confirms and Shuri hesitates over admitting yes, she did need help.

“They’re just letters, I’ll manage.” How hard could it be?

Nakia smiles and Shuri is momentarily caught off-guard, the pleased expression after days of neutral, anxious, diplomatic and or guarded ones is like night and day. This is how Nakia should always look.

“I hope I haven’t given you too much busy work… It’s what your mother and I could come up with.” Nakia sounds apologetic and Shuri races to reassure her.

“No, it’s not too much. I need something to do, honestly.” It’s also important, queens were supposed to be able to do these things.

“I will be leaving tonight, I’ve given some instructions to Barnes. Will you be alright?” Nakia’s tone is all business right up till the last sentence. Shuri knows what she should say, what she needs to. She does so reluctantly.

“Yes. If I don’t hear from you or my mother within 5 days or anything else happens to compromise my location, I will immediately leave the safe house and head for Jabari lands.” She’s recited their exit-strategy verbatim before to Nakia and more than once, so she only summarizes it now.

Nakia nods, “If I’m lucky I’ll establish contacts for more safe houses so you can move to one of them in the future instead of immediately running for the border. For now, please be careful.”

Shuri responds, “You too.” She’s not good at goodbyes, and it’s never felt like this before. T’Challa used to travel all the time and she rarely worried he wouldn’t come back. Nakia’s work may have taken her away for months at a time but she always came back. With stories, or snacks or some small souvenir.

Nakia seeing her hesitation or maybe just trying to reassure her steps closer, arms outstretched, Shuri immediately closes the distance between them. Her arms wrap around Nakia’s waist as she’s enveloped in a strong hug. Nakia smells like sweat and crude oil, from the explosives she’d just been handling.

“I will be back soon, don’t worry.” Nakia promises and Shuri believes her.

That evening she uses her offline kimoyo beads to access some of her private image galleries. Most of the pictures are work, project or science related. Builds, prototypes, materials, cool designs, and of course memes. She comes across the footage she took when she’d tricked T’Challa to activate the suit’s new feature and almost breaks down. The video seems to be straight out of another lifetime, another world. She’d give anything to go back. She doesn’t stop watching and soon she’s looking through old videos and pictures, the last Bast Festival… T’Challa’s 32nd birthday. 

From that point and back–Nakia is suddenly in the pictures again, usually at T’Challa’s side. The two of them have been broken up for years but Shuri always expected them to get back together. They looked good together, Nakia would have made the best Queen. They all knew that even before Nakia and T’Challa finally got together.  
Which makes her remember how she had felt when they first got together. Shuri had only been six at the time but had felt heartbroken. Well as heartbroken as a six year olds could feel. She used to have the biggest crush on Nakia, time and a little secondhand embarrassment had dealt with the crush but the admiration hasn’t faded. Even T'Challa, oblivious as he could be, had noticed and teased her for it. T’Challa would never tease her again, not over her love of technology, not for being a brat—he would also never get back with Nakia. For whatever reason that’s the thought that sticks with Shuri and hurts the most.


	11. Nakia - 2 weeks since N’Jadaka wins

Nakia arrives in the capital in the very early morning. She’s dressed in a long thick abaya reminiscent of the Merchant Tribe’s quedarite origins, and popular fashion among their clans. Fabricating a work permit wasn’t easy but she managed, and soon she is past the regular checkpoints and into the city. 

Not much has changed in the days since they left. It’s too early for the regular bustle but already some Wakandans are out and about. She is wearing a loose heavy hood which covers most of her face but she makes sure to greet those she passes, so as not to be conspicuous. Wakandans especially those in the capital were an odd jumble of tribal affiliations, clans, secondary religions and creeds. They were also given to curiosity so she works at being as inconspicuous as she can. This morning she is Sarabi from one of the neighboring towns of the capital and she has come to set up for her next trading day.

She walks from the city’s western gate checkpoint to a cafe in the east precinct, where she has breakfast. She listens carefully, her outward appearance leisurely to the conversations of the people around her as she scrolls through the public displays on each table that featured news and entertainments for the café’s guests. She didn’t have her kimoyo beads active and has in fact left them at the safe house with Shuri so she doesn’t interface as nearly everyone else in the cafe would. Instead she does as a child would, one too young to have kimoyo beads of their own, touching the display directly.

There’s not much news pertaining to Wakanda’s new king himself, but his handiwork is all around some of the other announcements, and trending topics. She listens to a popular pundit lament some grievance, watches a short video clip recorded at a temple from a neighboring city. It’s disconcerting to apply herself to Wakandan news and talk in work mode instead of as a casual observer. She resists the urge to check in on some of the smaller social pages, the sort her fathers or siblings might visit.

Then she goes through the list of what major trading hubs were currently lending, selling or brokering. She notes a steep decline in foreign goods and a large increase in local wares like medical equipment, stationary furniture and agricultural goods. The rest of Wakanda might be mostly unaware or uncaring of their king’s subtle or not so subtle actions abroad but Wakanda’s commerce industry was not. They seemed ready to meet current and future demands, and she wished not for the first time she could access her actual workstation in her apartment and log into the Division’s systems. She’s almost certain new funds and resources will have been added to their budget, and if things were different, she would be happy for it. Elated even, but N’Jadaka is not T’Challa or even T’Chaka. He isn’t interested in just humanitarian efforts.

Logging into Wakanda’s main trading hub’s information center takes her a few minutes and she starts to worry her work permit might have been frozen for suspicious activity or not yet active but then her log-in finally works and she is going through new and more specific information.

When she logs out, she feels sick. She doesn’t have access to see what’s happening on the side for brokers who held foreign accounts but she’s sure they’ve been following similar trends too. Small wonder international economies were doing so badly, Wakanda’s commerce was playing ball with its numbers!

The recent deaths of certain business leaders and treasury fund members weren’t a coincidence, she’s sure of it. It’s so obvious as to be sloppy, but then who would be watching? No one would see Wakanda coming not till… She takes a deep breath and leaves the cafe soon after. She needs to gather more information before she can meet her first target for the day. From the first cafe she takes a bus to a market not too far from Wakanda’s largest university, it’s not as busy as it should be for the day and time. She realizes why when one of the bored sellers strikes up conversation with her.

Their name is Karim and their clothes point to the River Tribe even if their accent is more Merchant than anything. He’s probably from one of the few families who liked to flip-flop between the two depending on who married who, and who birthed which child.

Their conversation is more gossip than anything, but it’s useful. Nakia hadn’t seen much from the priests of Bast since the weeks leading to T’Challa’s coronation. Their silence in the wake of a new king would certainly make people antsy. Her last stop before she finally heads for the edge of the palace proper and the Dora Milaje quarters is a sweet shop next to a train station that went east towards the largest Mining Tribe city Birnin Mgai.

Over the course of the day she’s altered her clothing somewhat, adding layers or removing one, untying her head wrap or raising her hood. Changed her gait, her voice, introduced herself with different names. For this visit she reverts to her first persona and enters the mostly empty shop. There’s a young child at the counter. The child, somewhere between seven and ten perks up when Nakia enters. Their eyes are an unusual reddish-brown with the characteristic double pupils, the shop owner’s family—an offshoot from an old Mining Tribe clan were disposed to. The child is probably blind and maybe even hard of hearing but there are receptors on their body to help them navigate and speak to others. Nakia doesn’t have her kimoyo beads so she has to use the shop's display to tap out her greeting and request.

Then she watches them descend from the stool they had been perched on and disappear into the back rooms of the shop. Short minutes later the shop’s proprietor stepped out. Zaid looks displeased to have been roused from whatever she had been doing but that displeasure melts away when she gets a good look at Nakia. She doesn’t introduce herself or bother with pleasantries, no doubt counting the seconds till Nakia leaves.

“How may I assist?” She uses the Merchant’s tribe’s word for guest instead of customer when referring to Nakia. Which tells Nakia she might be able to get something out of the information broker.

“I’m looking for a distributor, will she see me?” 

A look passes on Zaid’s face and Nakia wonders if she may have made a mistake to seek the woman out. There is always a risk. But then Zaid purses her lips and with a wave to her kimyo beads, locks the shop's entrance and turns the signage indicating the shop was open on the window off. Nakia follows her deeper into the shop. Once the door to the main sitting area closes, Zaid turns on her expression angry.

“Why did you come here?”

Nakia expects and deserves it, she responds levelly. “I need your help; I wouldn’t come if I weren’t desperate.”

“I can’t help you. One of your dogs have already come sniffing, if they suspect me--”

“I won’t come back again if you give me something.”

“How much is my life worth to you? My niece?” Zaid’s tone is absolutely icy.

If Nakia were more hot headed she would remind the Merchant tribe woman of the princess the news had made little mention of, her mother, her dead brother. But she doesn’t. What she is asking for is dangerous, her presence here is dangerous. She isn’t sorry. 

When she doesn’t respond, Zaid turns back towards the small hallway that led to the upper floors of the shop. Nakia counts 4 wall lights before they reach a lift, artfully designed to melt into the wall architecture. In the elevator she explains, “There are times missing in the [main hub] hub’s official report. I want the names of the trading entities, what was traded and a copy of the night schedule for kingsguard.”

Zaid doesn’t say anything till they’re out of the elevator and in a small sitting room.

“You won’t get far, Bast preserve us all, what are you thinking?!?”

“He’s not my target, I’m looking for someone else.” She couldn’t send a message to Okoye the usual way, she needed to be creative.

Zaid doesn’t look like she believes Nakia but she doesn’t comment any further. Nakia doesn’t blame her. If it were so easy to kill a Black Panther she would be the first to assassinate him. But it isn’t and it’s not just because of the Dora tasked in protecting him. Minutes later she’s showing Nakia a display with her own trade hub credentials of the un-doctored trading report. If Nakia were younger and more naive she would wonder why there were different versions of the same report floating around in official feeds, but she isn’t so she has several hunches and none of them are good.

“Have you had any successful foreign trades this month?” She asks when she notices the difference in the woman’s current month data and the last.

Zaid shakes her head, attention focused on her kimoyo bead display and not whatever Nakia might ask her. Shortly after Zaid proffers another data file for Nakia’s viewing. She scans over names and squads of kingsguard, there were more than before. Pulled in from other districts even. N’Jadaka must be paranoid. She doesn’t have much time to decide which route and shift she would take to get into the palace proper. She memorizes names and the guard shift rotation before turning back to Zaid.

“Thank you.” She has more to say, this is the first time she’s seen Zaid since she arrived in Wakanda weeks ago. Nakia had even spent the night the day of T’Challa’s coronation. But the time is inappropriate. Zaid doesn’t acknowledge her thanks, eyes trained away from Nakia in a dismissive manner. Nakia leaves quickly.


	12. Shuri - 3 weeks since N’Jadaka wins

Shuri knows the minute Nakia arrives back. She’s been watching, newly made security sensors primed for any movement on the periphery of the safehouse compound. The shuttle is very quiet when it lands, and Nakia looks tired but well when she disembarks. Two hours previously she had sent a code ahead to confirm all was well and Shuri had answered in the affirmative. Nakia has been gone for almost 5 days, Shuri kept busy for the most part but she started to worry, even more than she already was by the third day. She had been primed to flee the safehouse on the fourth day when Nakia pinged her to alert her return.

Shuri is running on a few hours of sleep and coffee when she rushes up to greet Nakia. Barnes beats her to it, which isn’t surprising. When the white man wasn't in the lab area, he was watching Everett Ross.

“Welcome back.” Shuri tries, despite just running up the stairs as if Nakia wouldn’t eventually come down, for nonchalance.

Nakia’s gifts a big tired smile. “It’s good to be back.” She sends a look back to Barnes and scans the 1st floor area, looking for Everett. Shuri realizes moments before the man in question appears. He’s holding the toy Nakia gave him when they first arrived. He looks almost as relieved as Shuri feels.

“Welcome back. How was your trip?” He greets Nakia walking closer to where her, Shuri and James are standing.

“It was informative. I hope you all weren’t too bored while I was gone?” Nakia directs the question to all of them and Shuri remembers that just like her, Nakia had given the two men their own sorts of assignments. Ross’ involved the children’s toy and a display that Shuri has seen him tempering with for hours at some point during the week. She’d been too busy with her own work to ask and the two times they’d eaten breakfast or lunch at the same time, Ross had asked her about other things, like what her education had been like or if all Wakandan houses looked like the safehouse they were currently staying in. 

“Not too bad.” Everett answers first and Shuri second, “We’ve all been busy.”

Nakia nods, walking towards the kitchen area.

“Have you eaten?” Shuri thinks to ask and Nakia shakes her head. “I will after I shower. In the meantime, I have word from your mother, and news from my travelling. We can discuss while I eat.”

Shuri watches Nakia eat, practically vibrating with anticipation. It's only been a scant week since Nakia left their safe house but the days had crawled for Shuri. At least when she wasn't working on her science related projects. The last few days she hasn't done much with the Jabari project or her letter writing.

“Your mother is well and safe, she sends her greetings.” Nakia doesn’t specify where and Shuri intends to ask once the two of them are alone. All manner of questions bubble in Shuri’s throat but Nakia’s gaze tells her, now is not the time to ask.

Nakia continues, “I was able to travel to not just the capital but 2 other cities. Not much has changed at first glance—but there are some disturbing trends.”

Nakia doesn’t mention who she spoke to and Shuri itches to ask about Okoye, or Zuri or even whoever her mother was staying with. Nakia goes on to describe some of what she had seen, what she noticed and what she thought was happening. Partway through explaining what the Wakandan Commerce Hub was to Ross, Shuri realizes this debriefing was probably for show and forces herself to relax some. The information she really cared about, like her mother and whether the priests of Bast had agreed to help would come after this. 

She’s proven correct when Nakia pulls her aside later. 

Shuri, impatient to know more than whatever Killmonger was doing outside Wakanda asks, “Is she in the capital now?”

Nakia confirms yes and then Shuri fires off her other questions, now a list with enough time. She first asks about her mother, where she was and if it was really safe. Then she asks about Okoye, the Dora. There are other people she’s worried for of course but those are who she asks for first. Once Nakia has answered or promised to find out more for her, she asks Shuri about the letters. Which means Shuri has to admit she hasn’t written any, just bits and pieces of letters. Nakia is not impressed. 

“You know I’m working with Barnes and the Jabari issues—” Shuri tries for her best excuse but Nakia’s disappointed look halts her in her tracks. She truthfully just hadn’t spent much time on the letters. She would start of course, with the full intent of writing something that sounded official and then get distracted.

“What’s giving you trouble about them?” Nakia asks and Shuri tries to explain. At the beginning of their conversation when Shuri was asking questions, they had been standing apart in a quiet corner of the underground lab but now they’ve migrated to the couch and Shuri finds herself leaning into Nakia as she explains and also complains a bit about why the letters weren’t coming together the way they ought. 

Nakia listens patiently while giving suggestions, most of which hadn’t occurred to Shuri. When Nakia mentions some of the books she recommended Shuri read, another thing Shuri just hadn’t gotten around to—Shuri feels even worse. But Nakia doesn’t seem too put out by her having not read or even finished a letter yet. Focused more on helping her understand the purpose and tips for crafting a letter that was official and authentically hers. 

Nakia mentioning the books and referring to some history Shuri never studied in depth but was relevant in this instance reminds her of some of the conversation threads she’s been reading online. All of this talk of the legalities of challenge day and some of the precedent set by previous challenges was revealing a large blind spot for her. Stories she never bothered to read more on and histories that were literally determining the course of her life at the very moment. 

For as long as her father was king it was simply another ceremony day, where she had to wear traditional clothing and stand for hours and be around council members and champions. It wasn’t ever a day that anything happened.  
Nakia is a good teacher, and Shuri finds herself drawn into retellings of ‘eventful’ challenge-days of previous dynasties along with the precedents each set. Nakia even touches on why traditional clothes were mandatory and some of the other origins of Challenge Day regulations. It’s much more interesting when Nakia tells it though by the end Shuri is definitely starting to nod off just a bit.

“Why do you know so much?” She asks when Nakia notices her eyes are drooping.

Nakia shrugs, smoothing out her dress shirt and pulling in her legs on the couch a bit so Shuri could lean back more comfortably. “I was a champion for several years… and my father is obsessed with Queen Sologon’s dynasty. Which set most of the precedents we follow now.” 

Shuri nods her head and Nakia smiles amused, “How much sleep did you get last night?”

Shuri shakes her head as if to clear the sleepiness away, yawning. “Not enough. What will you do now?” 

She’s waiting for a response, eyes closed when a hand brushes her cheek. She doesn’t open her eyes immediately, enjoying the feeling for a few moments. 

“What…?” Anyone else and it might have been a more grumpy response.

“You did well while I was gone. I’m proud. Now go to bed please. You need more than 3 hours of sleep.” 

Shuri just nods. Now that Nakia was back, sleep would be much easier.


	13. Nakia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by Ponderosa121

Nakia is not surprised when she comes back to find Shuri hasn’t managed to write any letters, but somehow found the time to manufacture a polymer material from the few materials the lab had available that could be used for a new prosthetic. She’s too used to Shuri’s engineering ability by now and that ability is not what she needs to cultivate at a time like this. Also Shuri had used her other projects to procrastinate. Nakia knew she could have managed more in all her assignments but chose to focus on the ones she was most comfortable with instead of reading and studying more in the areas she needed to work on.

Shuri needed to be groomed into a passable Wakandan monarch. After years of being indifferent to the politics, and concerns outside of her immediate fields of study. Shuri is suddenly heir apparent and T’Challa’s heir. Knowing Shuri she had probably never even considered the possibility of refusing to be T’Challa’s heir, didn’t think about refusing the call to be Wakanda’s next queen. Especially when someone like Nakia had already said no–despite Ramonda’s arguments for it. Especially when what probably motivated her most was the death of her brother. So, Nakia is trying to be patient. They weren’t peers before and now Shuri is intending to eventually become her superior. She plays the role of tutor and tries to encourage Shuri to step more into her new role.

The day after she returns she watches Barnes run Shuri through some exercises. For someone who barely talked Barnes is not a bad instructor and Nakia feels better about her decision the more she watches them. The younger woman isn’t unfit, but she definitely needed the focused attention. It’s only an hour into the exercises and there are several trails of sweat running down from Shuri’s face and collarbone. There will be new bruises on her side and tummy after today, but Shuri seems determined and Nakia is glad she’s taking this part of her new training seriously.  
Nakia notes Shuri is not used to relying on her body as opposed to the weapons or tools she’s developed. That dependency is obvious and Nakia makes notes for what other drills Shuri could do to get more comfortable. It causes her to panic more and flail when cornered or startled, and Nakia expects training that out of her will take time.

Then she goes to see Ross. Keeping the other agent informed on what her plans were even if it weren’t accurate, is important. Also if she didn’t, he would find her and ask. The man is tinkering with the upstairs entertainment display when she arrives and she watches him for a few seconds before speaking. 

“Got bored of the other things?” 

If he’s bothered by her watching him he doesn’t sound it. “Nah, just curious. Is this a t.v. or another microwave?”  
Nakia assumes he’s found all the ‘microwaves’ on this floor of the safehouse and smirks. “A computer actually, but it’s been disabled.” She suspects he’s already guessed the computer part by now. 

“Ah… same as everything else with wireless connectivity?” Ross’ tone is casual and Nakia raises an eyebrow. He’s definitely been snooping.

“It’s normal procedure.”

“Like the proximity gate and the cameras?” Ross sounds a bit peeved. 

Nakia tells him, “Yes.” 

A beat of silence and then Ross asks, “Why didn’t you challenge Stevens? Right after he won? You could have, couldn't you?” 

Nakia is not expecting a question like that and shakes her head. “It wasn’t a normal challenge day. The rules are different.” She had been more focused on getting Ramonda and Shuri away from the imminent threat. 

“So… if it were a normal challenge day you could have?”

“Yes.” She wouldn’t have however. Other champions would, Mining Tribe’s certainly. But not her. She refused the herb for practical and selfish reasons. Then she switches the subject.

She goes to find Shuri two hours later in the underground lab looking stiff as a board. 

“You need to soak your muscles or it will hurt even more later.” She explains while watching Shuri do her best not to lift her arms past a certain point. 

“I did that yesterday, it didn’t help.” Shuri doesn’t look up from her work table.

“It will still hurt, it’s how much it hurts.” 

Shuri finally looks up, “I can barely move my arms.”

“If you don’t want to soak, a hot towel over where it hurts most is good.” 

Shuri relents grudgingly and some minutes later they’re settled in the bathroom by a small sink with a basin of boiling water and a clean towel.

Shuri undoes her top and bra, giving Nakia her back. Nakia dips the towel in the water and squeezes it thoroughly, testing its heat first before applying it to Shuri’s back. Shuri hisses at the heat but doesn’t move. Nakia drags the towel gently then dips it again in the hot water. The silence is comfortable, almost meditative and the steam from the water feels good. When she’s finished with Shuri’s back she has her turn over to her side.

Nakia runs the towel from the outside in, over padded ribcages and a mostly flat tummy. The heat is starting to dissipate from the water so her touch is more ticklish now but Shuri bears it well. Nakia notices for the first time that while she didn’t think much of what was happening–Shuri herself seemed almost frozen. 

“Are you alright?” She asks.

Shuri nods her head yes, but when she speaks there’s an odd quality. 

“Just sore, that’s all.” 

Nakia doesn’t push and soon Shuri is pulling her clothes back on.

“You should still try and soak tonight, It really does help.” She urges Shuri, she would probably be up late anyway. A nice soak at the end of the day would only help her sleep.

\--

The night Nakia returns to the safehouse she dreams she's back in the capital. Her heartbeat is so loud, it thuds in her ear, making it difficult to hear her surroundings. Before it had been Shuri's cries that covered the latent noise. Now it's her own heart as fear sets over her like fast acting poison. Why were they underground? She had never led Shuri underground like this. Where was the queen mother? Why was she so scared? 

The answers come to her jumbled together yet coherent. They were being followed, she had lost the queen mother, they had fled underground for the tunnels she had played in as a child with T'Challa. There was an exit to the upper city, she just had to find it before they—Kingsguard? Dora? N'Jadaka himself?— found her and Shuri.

They walk and walk yet they're no closer to the tunnel's exit. Shuri's hand is warm and sticky in hers, fingernails embedding themselves into Nakia's skin. Distantly Nakia can smell smoke and her fear worsens. They reach a crossway and she carefully detangles Shuri's hand from her own. Then she leans close, whispers: "I need you to be quiet and wait for me." 

Shuri's face is stained with dried tears but she nods and Nakia presses their foreheads close. Then she lets go. She only takes a few steps when something urges her to turn around. When she does, Shuri is gone. Nakia wakes up from the shock and fights tears. She can hear the hum of kitchen appliances, and security system but she can't quite settle. Not till she crawls out of the sleeping pallet to confirm Shuri was sleeping where she normally did, safe.


End file.
